1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to arc discharge lamps, and more particularly, to igniter circuits for arc discharge lamps.
2. Background Art
Arc discharge lamps have been widely used in fixed and portable projectors because of the ability of arc discharge lamps to produce high intensity light. In a conventional arc discharge lamp, high intensity light is produced by arc discharge in an ionized gas. In order to ionize the gas in a conventional arc discharge lamp, an electric discharge at a sufficiently high voltage is required to ignite a spark in the spark gap of a spark generator for ionizing the gas.
In a conventional projector with an arc discharge lamp, a high-voltage step-up transformer is typically required to produce a sufficiently high voltage required for ignition. Conventional methods of producing the high voltage required for ignition of an arc discharge lamp typically include the use of a pulse direct current (DC) waveform, a rectified alternating current (AC) square waveform, or a flyback voltage from an inductor, for example. These conventional methods typically require the use of large magnetic components which suffer limitations caused by parasitic capacitance in the high-voltage windings and poor coupling between the windings. Furthermore, the high-voltage step-up transformer used in a conventional igniter circuit for an arc discharge lamp is usually heavy and bulky, thereby making it unattractive for use in lightweight portable projectors.
Therefore, there is a need for a lightweight compact igniter circuit for an arc discharge lamp in a lightweight portable projector. Furthermore, there is a need for an igniter circuit that is capable of producing ignition for the arc discharge lamp by utilizing a low-voltage DC power source.